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What
is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) ?

If
you have received any sort of assistance for a psychological or
mental health problem in recent years, the chances are you have come
across the term “Cognitive Behaviour Therapy”. Despite
the fact that the term Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is so frequently bandied around, for the average
person there is a lot of confusion about (a) what Cognitive Behaviour
Therapy is, and (b) who is able to provide it. People often complain
that different professionals who claim to be providing Cognitive Behaviour
Therapy seem to be doing something quite different from each other.

The
following is an attempt to provide some clarification.

Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy in Brief

Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy, also known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, is a
form of, frequently brief, psychological therapy which involves a
range of techniques aimed at altering patterns of thoughts,
behaviour, and in turn, emotion. It is an approach that has been
successfully applied to a wide range of psychological problems from
anxiety disorders and depression, through to eating disorders and
schizophrenia. In recent years Cognitive Behaviour Therapy has also
been applied to the management of physical problems such as chronic
pain, irritable bowel syndrome and tinnitus.

It
is now several decades since the beginnings of Cognitive Behaviour
Therapy, and not surprisingly it has since developed into several
related strands. Hence it is difficult to provide a comprehensive
definition that adequately covers all strands. However the following
is a list of some of the key features characteristic of many of these
strands of modern Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. (Nonetheless, it must
be stressed that these are generalisations which are not without
exceptions).

(1)
A collaborative approach to psychological therapy

Unlike
earlier approaches to psychotherapy which emphasised the therapist as
an expert providing advice or treatment to the patient, Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy typically aims to establish a collaborative
relationship between client and therapist. In Cognitive Behaviour
Therapy the client and therapist ideally operate as a team in
tackling the client's problems.

(2)
Practical techniques

Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy has an emphasis on the use of practical techniques
to address current problems in contrast to traditional 'talking'
therapies which often focused on childhood experiences through
extended dialogue.

(3)
Empowering the clients

Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy typically aims to equip clients with the skills to
tackle their own problems rather than the therapist doing all the
work. “Homework tasks” where the client practices skills
between sessions are usually integral to therapy. This also means
that the client is able to continue to put techniques into practice
once therapy has concluded. Not surprisingly this often reduces the
risk of relapse.

(4)
Brief therapy

Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy, with some exceptions, favours brief, goal focused
therapy rather than therapy such as Freudian psychodynamic therapy,
which has earned a reputation in some circles for involving weekly
visits over many years with limited measurable progress. (A key exception is CBT / schema therapy for personality disorders which is often highly intensive running for well in excess of 12 months). This also
has the benefit of making therapy more affordable.

(5)
Emphasis on scientific validation

Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy places a high value on Evidence Based Practice. It
assumes that psychological therapies should be informed by, and
subjected to, rigorous scientific investigation. This is in contrast
to many therapy approaches that are based on sometimes credible, but
untested, theories.

Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy has earned a positive reputation due to the strong
scientific support for its effectiveness. Many hundreds of controlled
research trials have now been conducted on Cognitive Behaviour
Therapy for a wide range of psychological problems. Studies have
frequently shown it to produce strong verifiable improvements, often
superior to other therapies with which it is compared.

In
Australia, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is one form of therapy
explicitly mentioned in the Federal Government's guidelines for the
provision of psychological services under Medicare.